Artist Jon McCann

We had the distinct pleasure to sit down with Artist Jon McCann from Aces Tattoo a few weeks back.

There are many things that we could say about artist Jon McCann, but what immediately comes to mind is he's fascinating, fun, and up for a challenge!

He has to be one of the most intriguing artists we have interviewed to date.

While he told us his tattoo stories, we couldn't help but be drawn in by his cavalier attitude and his long history with the art of tattooing.

At just 14 years old, Jon started tattooing and has never looked back.

Jon's first tattoo was one he gave himself on his leg -  a script tattoo that says "Punks Forever"

We will leave it up to you to decide if he remained true to that tattoo, but as far as we are concerned,  one thing is without a doubt quite evident. Jon confidently chose the right career path at the young age of 14.   To know what you want and go out and get it like he did is pretty amazing and speaks greatly of his character.

When he turned 18, Jon knew it was his time to find his first apprenticeship.
In Salt Lake City, Utah, Jon apprenticed at a shop that was, at the time, a sister shop to Sting Ray.

Jon spent two years there before moving to San Diego where he worked at a shop on the beach.

"The history of tattooing in San Diego is thick! It's a sailor port town so the history there is big!"

While he learned a lot in San Diego, and loved the experience working in a city with such a rich tattoo history, it was challenging to stand out and Jon said he felt like a drop in a pond.

 When Jon came back to his home town of Reno, Nevada at 24 years old, he had acquired some amazing skills in those other cities.
It's not surprising that he was able to come up fast on the tattoo scene here in Reno.

At  the time when he came back to Reno, Aces Tattoo was the big shop in town.

"I originally had a job lined up there, but when I got here someone took that spot," Jon said, "But if not for that, I probably wouldn’t ever have opened my own shop."

 Working one year at Pirate Tattoo when he first arrived, he then went on to open his own shop on Wells called Absolute Tattoo,  which is still open to this day.

Jon owned Absolute for seven years and then realized that he just really wanted to tattoo. He didn't enjoy the business side, dealing with all the other stuff that a business owner has to deal with.

"Experiencing having owned my own business made me realize I don’t ever want to do this again.It makes it easier to accept the rules here, and be just one of the guys."

It was at that time he decided to sell the business and move to Aces.

Since working at Aces Tattoo, Jon's been featured in Magazines, won several awards for Best Sleeve, Best Cover Up, and has thoroughly been enjoying the world he has created.

"I don’t go to work, I go to my home away from home, and hang out with my buddies all day. I like doing tattoos, and I paint, but literally I feel like I’m in my place, doing what I know best!"

Outside of tattooing Jon likes to paint murals, canvases, and much like tattooing, he likes to do large paintings. He also like to ride his bike and travel.

His most recent trip took him to the Netherlands, to Prague and backpacking alone around Europe. He spent time seeing cool museums where historical artistic pieces that his heroes created were on display.

 "I didn’t used to like Van Gogh and when I saw his work in person  I felt like I was looking at them as a movie." 

Jon enjoys doing pieces no one else will do and is continually challenging himself.

"I want people to come to me with ideas that are open ended and where there is room for creativity. 

If everybody else says NO come to me before you give up."

Reno if you are looking for an artist that is up for the challenge of tattooing just about anything you throw his way, this is your fun and fascinating guy!

Jen and No:el

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Celebrating 20 years with Aces Tattoo

Well Hello There Reno!!

Tap tap tap...(on the microphone)

Is anyone out there?

Have you all left us?

We apologize for the not so brief intermission here. 

We are back up and running again.

Thank you for the support and patience you've given us while we got our shit together!

We are so excited to come back with a tattoo story of a shop here in town that is currently celebrating it's 20th anniversary.

Aces Tattoo - Reno, NV - Est. 1995

Many of you that we have interviewed have been mentioning the amazing artists at Aces Tattoo, and so we thought it was high time we saw for ourselves what all the buzz is about.
And we can honestly say, things really are literally buzzing over there.
Ya know from the tattoo machines?
Ok moving on...

(Artist Jonny Mccann)

In Reno's tattoo history, Aces Tattoo is a shop that has a rich legacy as one of the oldest shops on the block. 

What sets this shop apart is the long-standing friendships weaved through the years of its owners and artists. Reaching back to high school, there is over 30 years of personal history.

(Artist Rob Roy)

It's no wonder this community tattoo shop has been rated a top shop for several decades here in Reno. 

Aces tattoo originally opened up on July 5th 1995, 
under the name of Aeros. 

Twenty years ago, the city of Reno had a moratorium that required all tattoo shops to be contained on Wells street. This explains why there are so many shops on Wells street.  

(Artist Sean Hansen)

When shops could open outside of Wells, Aces was one of the first shops to relocate from Wells to their current location on 681 South Virginia Street. 

 The name changed and so did the location.

The original artists - Kevin Cox, Rob Roy, and Jared Isenberg are all currently still at Aces and thicker than thieves these days!! 

It is a rare breed of artists to stay 20 years together, wouldn't you agree?

Native Reno-ite and one of seven artists at Reno Aces, Ron Rash said that when the shop first opened on Wells, there were only two other tattoo shops in Reno; Shadowbright, now called Sting Ray and Body Graphics, the oldest shop in Reno.  

Rash said they all started out as punk rocker kids who loved skating, art, and the whole rebellious scene that tattoos were associated with back in the day.

Now, they are the tattoo legends of Reno.


Interestingly enough, Aces tattoo brought their skateboarding history with them to the new address,  subletting a part of the shop to a friend of theirs from the 80's who opened the Classic Skate Shop next door. 

"We all grew up together. We used to be in the same scene," Rash said. "We were all skateboarders. We were all kids here, just artsy dudes in Reno." 

(Artist Kevin Cox)

Just out of high school, Kevin Cox, current co-owner of Aces Tattoo, left for art school in San Francisco. From there, he spent time in Santa Cruz and got his start in the tattoo world working with Staircase Tattoo. At the same time, Rob Roy, the other co-owner started to learn tattooing on the side in Reno. Before long, Kevin helped Rob open the original shop in Reno.  The third party still standing was Jared Isenberg, who apprenticed as soon as the doors opened on Wells. The three have continued to tattoo together for 20 years. 

 Aces Tattoo currently has seven artists working in the midtown shop, Kevin, Rob, Jared, Jonny, Ron, Jake, and Sean.

While Aces continues to do well in Reno, Rash said it was different when the shops first started in Reno.

                                         (Artist Ron Rash)

"I think it has something to do not only with the scene in Reno, but also the era," Rash said. "Back then it was a much different thing to get into than it is now.  This was the era of pre-reality shows. It was more of the outlaw scene. We were just punk rock kids. The Tattoo scene itself in the 90’s was much more tied together. It was really difficult to have a career as a tattoo artist back then and it was just a different type of scene." 

This past Friday night, the shop was open for family, friends and customers to come and enjoy free food and drinks to help celebrate this very eventful anniversary. 

(Artist Jared)

We hope you were able to go down, and celebrate with them, but if you haven't ever checked out this awesome team of tattoo artists go give them a look you won't be disappointed!

681 S. Virginia St. Reno, NV 89501 - (775)333-0915 - info@acesreno.com

                                            No..el and Jen

Lady Luck Expo

This weekend the Biggest Little City will host the 13th annual Lady Luck Expo at Circus Circus Reno Hotel and Casino.

Click here for Expo details 

What started as a conversation between a few tattoo artists has since turned into a World Class Expo that hosts over 100 tattoo artists from across the country and the world. The Expo provides an entertaining and fun place to gather regionally for those interested in anything tattoo.

We took a few minutes to speak with the creator of the event this past Tuesday and here's what you need to know about Tim Azinger and the Lady Luck Expo.

This Expo isn't Azinger's first rodeo. He's been at it since 1993. In fact, last year was the 22nd annual Expo "Meeting of the Marked" M.O.M. in Monroeville, PA - a similar gathering he started on the East Coast as a new tattoo artist.

For Azinger, this Expo is  his labor of love to all the tattoo artists across the country. So much blood, (literal blood) sweat, and tears goes into organizing these conventions to make them a bad ass event!

"You literally wrap up one convention and a week later you are already planning for next year," Azinger said.

For Azinger, part of what hooked him on establishing these events was the camaraderie among the tattoo artists that you can't get just by working out of your own shop,  and that is how Lady Luck came to be.

Jason Freeman of Triumph Tattoo attended the M.O.M. 13 years ago and mentioned Reno as a hot spot for something similar to take place. The idea was planted and the rest is history!

15 years later, the Lady Luck Expo is now one of the most popular tattoo conventions on the West Coast. 

Azinger has also helped start similar Expos in Philadelphia, Chicago and Seattle. What Azinger loves about the Reno Expo and what sets this one apart from the other events he does, is both location and tattoo history.

"Reno is well organized and it has a strong tattoo history," Azinger said. "It's a little town but 30 years ago, even the National Tattoo Association helped the city do their first event. It's a good destination spot, being close to San Francisco and Sacramento and its a great draw for the metro cities that aren't too far away."

When asked who some of the artists will be at this year's Expo, Azinger made it clear that he's not promoting a celebrity tattooers event.

"Everyone that's here will be a good, solid, quality tattooer," Azinger said. "It's not about someone being famous and signing autographs. Instead, no matter who comes here is
 going to get a great tattoo."

The Expo is open to the public at 2 pm on Friday and goes until Sunday at 7pm.

Contests for best full back, full sleeve, portrait/realistic, and traditional will happen throughout each day and an after party for Absolute Tattoo's 10 year Anniversary will happen on Saturday night.

A variety of vendors will be there from custom made jewelry, body jewelry, artists who create their own art outside of tattooing, custom clothing line and more. 

"I love having all these tattooers here in town," Azinger said. "I hope people will come out and support the event and make it a great time. We have a lot of great tattooers that are here. We hope you'll take part in the different contests and categories and have a great time. If you are at all interested in anything tattoo, this is a great event to check out." 

Click here for Expo Details

Noël and Jen 

Modify Your Thinking - Artists and OSHA training

This Friday the 13th Annual Lady Luck Expo, supported by M.O.M. Productions and Absolute Tattoo,  sets up shop at the Circus Circus Reno Hotel and Casino in downtown. 

Several national and international artists will come from as far as Canada, Massachusetts, Florida and as close as your back door here in Reno, ready to ink your skin. 

Tim Azinger, event creator and producer of the Lady Luck Expo said healthy tattoo standards are a huge part of his practice and of  the artists who participate in the Lady Luck Expo.

"Part of caring about tattooing is caring about our customer's safety as well as our own," Azinger said. "That is the direction that tattooing is taking and we want to do everything we can do to provide a sterile event." 

Artists who tattoo at Lady Luck had to submit an application to the health department and get a temporary license to work at the convention. Besides working directly with Washoe County to go by their set guidelines, Azinger also offers local artists the opportunity to improve their game. 

Kris Lachance of Safe Art Works hosts a seminar for local and visiting artists to attend before the Expo begins. She's been doing it for Azinger for 13 years. This year, the event is called  "Modify Your Thinking," a Bloodborne Pathogens Seminar. 

Offered  to professional tattoo artists and piercers with an opportunity to be OSHA certified, Lachance enjoys her trips to Reno and sticks around to enjoy the Lady Luck Expo for herself. 

"I love coming to Reno," Lachance said. " I love the show, It’s an amazing show. It's very well organized." 

And for tattoo artists nationwide, 

 "I wish more would invest in educating themselves with industry specific classes like this." 

Lachance bought her own tattoo shop, Splash of Color & Piercing Studio  in '97, and at the time, there were no industry specific standards in Michigan. Interested in raising the bar and bringing more credibility to the industry, she looked at the medical and dental fields and took what applied  to fit the tattoo and piercing industry.  Lachance started working with David Zidra of Health Educators, Inc. for 17 years but three-years-ago she branched out on her own and created Safe Art Works. 

Lachance wants to bring professional artists together in a unified voice to raise the bar and level the playing field. 

"When it comes to sterilization and infection based control, it doesn’t matter what industry you’re in, if you’re not educated properly, you're making an assumption," Lachance said. "There are no federal regulations for tattoo practices, no standards, anyone can open a shop. Standards are minimal for the amount of exposure we have to blood and body fluids." 

 While Lachance is passionate about equipping tattoo artists and piercers with material that will bring healthier practices to the industry she also hopes to make really clear  that the purpose of her Seminars is not to limit or hinder freedom of expression but to build a strong base to practice art from.

 "It has nothing to do with stifling anyone artistically," Lachance said. "You will be able to practice longer and do more artistically if you have this training." 

Those in the industry know that "scratchers" may enjoy creating art on your body from the comfort of their living room, but they aren't known for doing it safely. 

Professional tattoo artists typically maintain some measure of health standards to protect both the artist and the customer from infection and disease.  Without respect for safe practices, the industry has been tainted by lower standards since exposure to bodily fluids can cause viruses and bacteria to spread if not handled correctly. Knowing how disease is spread and avoiding exposure is an important part of the entire experience for  professional tattoo artists.

LADY LUCK EXPO

“MODIFY YOUR THINKING” 

TRADITIONAL TATTOO ARTISTS & PROFESSIONAL PIERCERS

Casino Ballroom

Thursday, March 19th


1PM-5PM

Kris Lachance
kris@safeartworks.com


Phone: (517) 281-7959

Printed course material, handouts & sample documentation forms.

FREE product samples A certificate of training

offered at a special convention rate of $75.00 PER PERSON. 

Noël  & Jen <3

Carlos - Your Humble Barista Man

If we could describe this next person in only one word it would have to be cool.

Carlos Ayala is one cool cat. He is as smoothe as the coffee he brews. In fact, we're fairly certain that the urban dictionary included the word with him in mind.  Born and raised right here in the biggest little city,  if you're ready to hear his tattoo stories, you'll need to sit back, relax and enjoy a good cup of joe while you're at it.

We had the pleasure of hearing his story while sipping on a cup of his cold brew iced coffee and must say, the man makes one mighty fine cold brew.

At 23-years-old, Carlos got his first tattoo of a gun taken from the Black Keys album.
When asked how many tattoos he has now he said, "Too many to count!"
But he's not counting, because as someone who loves art, tattoos are just another expression of that.

"I’ve always been into art," Carlos said, "I used to do sculpture/ceramics back in the day." As part of his love for art, each tattoo is something he has thought about.

Although Carlos had known for a long time that he wanted to get tattoos, he waited until he knew it would be something he would be happy with forever.

From his arm pieces, to his chest and back pieces, Carlos has had eight tattoos inked in the span of five years. One thing he's found interesting is that the more he gets, the more painful they seem to be.  But perhaps it's all about placement.

Right now Carlos is getting a Sugar Skull full back piece by artist Jason Freeman of Triumph Tattoo. Where he used to be able to tolerate the pain for hours, he has only been able to have work done in one-and-a-half  hour increments on this particular piece.

"Usually, I could do three to four hours at a time , but this has been extremely painful, like close to tears." Ayala said. But Carlos is dealing with the pain because he knows the end result will be worth it.

Although Reno has a plethora of shops to choose from, Carlos had good things to say about the tattoo culture here in the city.

"I kind of like where it’s going," Ayala said. "I like how Nightmare (Now Lasting Dose) has changed and it has an art gallery. It seems people are getting more into the art side of it."

Carlos says the art gallery at Lasting Dose is one example of how the Reno tattoo culture is at a good place. Upcoming conventions like the Lady Luck Convention later this month promote the artistic side, says Carlos. The diversity and different styles of art that are available at the convention is what draws people. 

"At conventions you get to meet all sorts of artists who have all different styles." Carlos said.

 For Carlos, he attributes his good experiences to doing his homework ahead of time.  

"I do a lot of research, I look at their portfolios, their Instagram," Carlos said. "I ask around to people who have a lot of tattoos. When I wanted a traditional piece, one name kept coming up and that’s Jason Freeman."

Although it was tough to choose, Carlos said his favorite shops are Lasting Dose for the art gallery as well as Aces for the overall feel there and the guys are really cool.  Yet when  it comes to the artist,  if they have quality work out there and a good reputation, Carlos is willing to check them out. What it really boils down to is quality work and enthusiasm in the piece.

"When I go to my artist, if he’s not stoked about it, I’m not going to have him do it for me." Carlos said.

He's had some of the best artists around town from Jason Wheeler (who moved out of the area), to John McCann, Carlos Perez, Mike Curatello and now Jason Freeman who is working on a full back piece.

"I like getting work done from all sorts of artists," Carlos said. "It’s just like I can’t have the same cup of coffee every day."

And Carlos knows his coffee! Here's the rest of the story on Carlos, the Humble Coffee Roaster.  

"When I picked up coffee everything just kind of fell together."

He's actually a pro! Carlos spent a week training at Klatch Coffee in Southern California, one of the largest professional coffee roasters that boasts a quality, casual and laid back experience for specialty coffee roasters. While there, Carlos trained with two-time U.S. Barista Champion Heather Perry, no relation to Katy Perry, although in his own photo caption, Carlos wishes he could play guitar, but we digress.

As most of his fellow co-workers know, Carlos has a side business called Humble Roasters Coffee Company and while Carlos has been working for Patagonia for eight years now, coffee is what he dreams about at night.

"I actually got into brewing coffee at work," Ayala said. " There was a guy in our returns department who used to brew coffee and we would give him money but he ended up quitting."

And that's when Carlos quietly started brewing for his co-workers in the warehouse. His coffee was a hit, and soon people were paying him for a cup of quality coffee in the morning.

"It’s either this (working at Patagonia) or my coffee." Carlos said, but he's definitely working on his dream to open his own shop someday.  Carlos attributes a lot of his success to a good friend Aiden who is the head roaster at Kolika Roasters here in Reno. Carlos gets his organic fair trade beans through Kolika, a roasting company here in Reno and they get their beans from all over. For anyone interesting in making their own roast, Carlos is sure it can be done at home. You just have to buy good beans and know how to do it. That's exactly what he wanted to do. Aiden inspired the name, Humble Coffee with the idea that they could make the best cup in town but say it in all humility.

Outside of his next tattoo or good cup of Jo, you might also find Carlos climbing or playing soccer, a few other hobbies done in his spare time. In addition, Carlos prides himself on taking in the world's beauty through photography - using every form of camera imaginable. You can check out his photo blog at Carlitosaa.blogspot.com.

" I love shooting with all kinds of cameras – from film, go pro, iphone, digitial – if it’s one thing I love more than coffee it’s photography."

Carlos sells his cold brew coffee in a 1 litre bottle for $20 and a growler size for $33. Refills are $25 on the growler. Carlos is currently working on a website but in the meantime, if you'd like to try Humble coffee give Carlos a call at 742-4310.

For more information on the Lady Luck Convention taking place here in Reno, March 20-22nd, check out their website.  We hope to see you there!  

No..el and Jen <3

Artist Chris Palmer

We are honored to introduce you to one of Reno's toughest tattoo artists around. 

Chris Palmer is a man who has been faced with both tragedy and triumph in his life and he's handled both with tremendous courage.

In fact we would go so far as to say that he has handled triumph with humility and tragedy with grace. 

The traces of tragedy to triumph are trickled all throughout this mans life but especially this past year.

Chris and Kristine Palmer are a beautiful couple who are excited to welcome one of life's most precious moments. The birth of their newborn child is expected this March and while this is without a doubt a triumphant moment in life, tragedy was right around the corner  when this past summer, Chris was diagnosed with glioblastoma brain cancer. 

For  most people this blow would stop them in their tracks but for Chris Palmer who has been tattooing skin for 14 years out of Sinful Skin, he's taking this news with a strength and courage that is truly inspiring and he's not about to stop tattooing.  In fact, talking with him recently, he has been more inspired than ever before.

He really is a man on a mission to tattoo until death does he part. 

(Photo of a tattoo on Chris's  arm that says, "Until Death" with an ink bottle)

 Chris Palmer's story starts stateside. Born in Provo, Utah to a large family, Chris moved around a lot. By 1^st grade, his family settled in Reno, and he has been here ever since. In high-school, Chris survived a trampoline accident that left him paralyzed and when faced with this first tragedy in life he didn't let it keep him down.  He did however realize that his physical activity would be limited, so he started his love affair with the world of art.

When Chris graduated from High school though he decided to get started on a degree in Chemistry at UNR. He already had 4 years under his academic belt when he got his first taste of tattooing.  A friend bought a tattoo kit and Chris offered up his skin for a piece of practice canvas. He was 21-years-old and when it didn’t turn out to be the greatest tattoo, Chris thought “I can do better than this!” After fooling around with the tattoo machine for awhile, he decided to leave UNR to pursue tattooing full-time.  

"I always wanted to be an artist, but tattooing was just cooler" Chris said. 

Chris bought the tattoo kit from his friend and tried it out on his own leg. When friends and family saw the quality of work Chris did from scratch, they asked him to work on them. At 22-years-old, Chris was hired to apprentice at Sinful Skin in Reno and after a month and a half, he was hired on as a full-time tattoo artist.  

Little did he know that after five years at Sinful Skin, he’d have an opportunity to become the owner. The shop was located off E Plumb lane and Chris worked hard to make it a great place to work.

 “I’m not a confrontational person, and my shop was always real stable,” Palmer said. “I only picked other artists that I had things in common with. We did have some terrible things happen with some of the artists, but for the most part there was no drama.” 

While his family was initially against the decision to leave school and pursue this profession, Chris says they came around. 

“All the artwork that I produced was something they were real proud about,” Palmer said. “It used to be, my dad would say ‘my son owns a business’ but now my parents say ‘my son owns a tattoo shop.'

"I think the bright colors and the art aspect of it changed their mind on what this industry is about.” 

Recently,  it is with a heavy heart the doors of Sinful Skin were closed so that Chris and his family can focus on getting better and welcoming this new addition to their family. It is the end of an era for the doors to close after 14 years of Chris's life being lived there.  Chris has always done very well in this profession and attributes it to loyal customers of Reno who spread the word.

 Like we said, he may have closed his shop, but he hasn't stopped tattooing. While Chris owned Sinful Skin, one of the artists who apprenticed there, Dustin George Brown, did really well for himself and started his own shop called Valor Tattoo behind Rapscallions. After being with Chris for six years, Chris was happy to see him do well for himself. Recently, Dustin invited Chris to come over and work his creative magic in a private room in the back. While Chris continues to tattoo out of Valor, he is also working hard to kick Cancer's ass!

When asked which tattoos have been the most challenging pieces to do, it was more about where the tattoo is desired versus what will go on the body.

"For me it’s really placement," Chris said, "The neck, the front torso, the belly are tough. As far as design goes, most of the time it's simple, but sometimes people bring you something that is too tight or tough to fit into what they want."

At his core, Chris is a cool cat. He's not going to cause trouble and wants no part of it. For this reason, he refuses to do any pieces that are gang related. His favorite pieces are realism, the neo-traditional, Sailor Jerry pieces, anything realistic and traditional with thick lines. 

One of Chris's  new favorite tattoo's is one his wife recently gave him.
Although Kristine is a graphic design artist, this was her first tattoo - the words "I love you" on his arm.
This is where we want a share their love story and because it all started out of a tattoo shop we feel like it fits!

When Chris first met Kristine, while working on her tattoo, he saw that she could hold her own when it came to conversations about art. For Kristine , who started out painting and drawing, she decided she wanted to get paid for it, and so she moved into graphic design as a profession. 

"We could talk about art and critique stuff together," Palmer said. "It was cool. I guess it was really fun to talk about things with her. She wasn't just like yah, that's great, she had things to say about the art too. So I did that whole stalker creep thing, I got her consent form and her number." Chris laughs as he retells the story.
"It's just interesting how it shifted, there's something about some people and there was just something about Kristine."  

After being together for about a year,  Chris and Kristine got married in the Virginia City graveyard on Halloween. They rented a house for family and friends to enjoy,  and they all came dressed up and went trick-or-treating in the city that night after their wedding. With their 10 year old daughter, Celeste, they are expecting a baby this March and have  decided to wait on finding out the sex of the baby, one of life's last known surprises. 

. 

Chris' favorite thing about being a tattoo artist is realizing that his work will live on past him.
He recommends to those who are looking to get their first tattoo that they should be comfortable with the artist. 

"Don't be impulsive" Chris said. "Find the right artist for you. What's a couple more days or a couple more hours." 

"So many young people that I'm tattooing right now, they will have these things that I created and made, traveling canvases." Chris said.  "You kind of forget the faces but you don't forget the tattoos." 

It has been really amazing how the tattoo community and really Reno at large has come to support Chris and Kristine during this time.

When owners of TNT Landscaping found out Chris didn't have insurance he hosted "Cards for Chris" at the Elks Lodge. People gave donations of all kinds for participants to win - everything from sub-machine guns and gift certificate. The 80 players who came together raised a lot of money with most of the items auctioning for about seven times what they were worth.
Another event is under way to help raise more money for Chris and his family by many of the local tattoo artist here in Reno. It is set to take place on May 9th, and as it gets closer we will have more details to follow!

For Chris, every day counts. And he's making the best of it.

"It makes you appreciate life so much more," Chris said. "You just try to live through life not doing any harm, not be judgmental, and to love everyone. My family and my wife are a huge thing that keep me going.  I’m glad when I come in and can say that I tried today and gave someone a cool tatt."
In his spare time, Chris likes to shoot. Although not a hunter, he has a gun collection and likes to mess around. He also loves to oil paint and draw.

Noël and Jen <3